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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pop — soda
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — all right
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bass — low music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. season — of the year
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pop — music

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