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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · spell · cold · net · bass · vault · rock · face

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mate — a friend
  3. net — after costs
  4. rock — music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — magic
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — to confront
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cold — an illness

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