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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.

Make a worksheet

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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · wound · cabinet · bass · can · net · arm · hide

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. net — for catching
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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