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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — in sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — size or range
  23. band — a music group
  24. vault — a safe

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