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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 · tube · pound · last · object · vault · straw · race

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. race — a contest
  3. object — a thing
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. object — to protest
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pound — a weight
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — final
  17. bass — the fish
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bass — low music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. last — finally
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. last — to go on

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