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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. vault — a safe
  8. object — an aim
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. roll — a cake
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. roll — a list
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chest — of your body
  16. land — to come down
  17. object — to protest
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. land — a country
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — ground
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. band — a music group
  24. object — a thing

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