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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — wild animals
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — a safe
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a match
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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