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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: drill · chair · vault · bass · rule · racket

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — low music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bass — the fish
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rule — government

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