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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.

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
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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 · bass · field · fan · chest · bay · vault · board

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — after costs
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — for catching
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — in sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bass — the instrument

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