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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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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: bear · bass · row · season · chip · vault · cell · net

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a line
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. net — in sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chip — to eat
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. season — of the year
  22. bear — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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