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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. hand — in cards
  16. clip — a video
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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