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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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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: vault · lash · degree · march · racket · bass · charge · clip

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. march — the month
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. degree — an amount
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. charge — in control
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — music
  15. degree — temperature
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — a video
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bass — low music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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