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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.

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
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: season · deal · vault · jam · net · rest · clip · pitcher

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rest — what's left
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — a video
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. clip — to cut
  18. net — in sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. deal — to handle
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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