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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — a division
  11. mate — a friend
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com