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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 116 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: march · net · cabinet · rush · pitch · face · band · vault

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — a safe
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitch — completely
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to point toward
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. net — in sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. net — for catching

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