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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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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 · wind · vault · swing · ruler · row · lash · bat

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bat — the animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. swing — music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. row — to paddle

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