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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. net — for catching
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. wake — a trail

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