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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: kick · kid · vault · bank · net · foot · pitcher · scale

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. net — after costs
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. net — in sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — of a river
  18. net — for catching
  19. scale — in music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kid — child
  24. kick — in football

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