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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bank — of a river
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. sharp — clever
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cue — a signal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. dip — to sink
  18. vault — a safe
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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