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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 116 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
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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: net · clip · bass · pit · vault · staff · mine · lie

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lie — to recline
  5. vault — a safe
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — the fish
  9. staff — a stick
  10. net — after costs
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pit — in a race
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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