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

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. degree — temperature
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pound — a weight
  15. club — for golf
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bass — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. club — a group

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