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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. net — for catching
  5. land — ground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bank — of a river
  11. snap — to click
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — to come down
  14. bank — for money
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — in sport
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. land — a country
  24. rest — a break

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