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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — low music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — a safe
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. court — of a king
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. court — of law
  13. kick — in football
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pound — a weight
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. dip — to sink
  21. court — for sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. band — a music group
  24. bass — the fish

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