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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.

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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 · vault · club · clip · race · mouse · net · fine

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — the arms race
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. club — for golf
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — humankind
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. net — in sport
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. club — a group
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — the animal

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