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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: season · bass · racket · straw · vault · hide · pitcher · lash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — of the year
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. season — in sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — a loud noise

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