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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — a series
  5. object — to protest
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. object — a thing
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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