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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
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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: clip · leaves · net · pop · vault · rest · can · cold

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — soda
  5. rest — a break
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rest — what's left
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — a video
  12. pop — music
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cold — not warm
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pop — to visit
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. leaves — of a tree

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