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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · rash · straw · race · ruler · bass

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. race — humankind
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bass — the fish
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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