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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: jam · bass · rest · lie · vault · wound · safe · straw

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — a break
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bass — the fish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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