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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — in music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bound — obliged
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — tied together
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — certain
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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