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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — in cards
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. pop — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. clip — a video
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — soda
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. net — for catching
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — to visit

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