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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. game — a match
  4. pass — a permit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. object — to protest
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — a thing
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. file — a document
  14. object — an aim
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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