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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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Word bank
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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 · bass · wind · squash · bat · cell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. squash — the sport
  18. 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