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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — an injury
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bound — certain
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bound — tied together
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. fall — to drop
  24. patient — a sick person

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