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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: bat · vault · cold · key · bass · court · mouse · deal

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — the most important part
  15. court — of a king
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. key — for a lock
  22. vault — a safe
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. key — in music

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