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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 116 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: pitcher · vault · cell · pound · sharp · rock · bass · straw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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