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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 120 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: race · net · bound · fall · face · bat · vault · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fall — to drop
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fall — the season
  6. bound — tied together
  7. face — part of the head
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. net — for catching
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — certain
  24. face — to confront

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