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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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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 · scale · bound · mouse · race · cue · vault · lash

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bass — low music
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — certain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — in music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. vault — a safe
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bass — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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