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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — humankind
  13. club — for dancing
  14. snap — to click
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bass — the fish
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. race — the arms race
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — a contest

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