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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. swing — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. swing — in golf
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — a series
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fall — the season
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rash — on the skin
  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