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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · bat · vault · suit · ball · land · date · tear

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. suit — clothes
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. vault — a safe
  9. suit — to fit
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tear — to rip
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — a country
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. date — the fruit

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