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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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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: straw · tear · net · bay · bank · court · vault · charge

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — of law
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. charge — in control
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. court — of a king
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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