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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — the fish
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bass — low music
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — a safe
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — a contest
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. drill — army training
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pass — a permit
  22. race — humankind
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — the arms race

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