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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chair — a leader
  8. club — a group
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. club — for golf
  24. bowl — a football final

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