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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: fall · bowl · bass · court · roll · vault · bark · firm

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. firm — steady
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. firm — decided
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fall — the season
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. roll — a list
  16. bass — low music
  17. firm — a company
  18. roll — a cake
  19. court — of law
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. court — of a king
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fall — to drop

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