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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: vault · game · bass · ruler · hide · squash · cold · ground

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. game — a match
  3. ground — the earth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ground — a position
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — low music
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — to crush
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. squash — the sport
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cold — not warm

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