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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 116 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: swing · last · hand · lie · pound · bass · vault · track

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pound — a weight
  4. last — finally
  5. track — a path
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. track — a song
  10. hand — in cards
  11. last — to go on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pound — to hit hard

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