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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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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: net · cell · mate · rest · vault · bark · pop · pitch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pop — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pop — soda
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. net — after costs
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cell — a phone
  24. vault — a safe

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