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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 120 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: bass · chair · sharp · vault · mouse · swing · wound · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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