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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 124 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bass — the fish
  16. band — a music group
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. toast — bread
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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