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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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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 · lean · cell · vault · mate · swing · rock · mine

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rock — music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. swing — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mate — a friend
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mate — a partner
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cell — a phone

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