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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: net · bat · mouse · vault · mug · bear · swing · lean

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a face
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — thin
  24. mug — to rob

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