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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: firm · swing · vault · charge · hand · pound · bass · clip

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. swing — to play on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. firm — decided
  7. charge — in control
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bass — the fish
  11. firm — a company
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — help
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. clip — for paper
  18. charge — a price
  19. firm — steady
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hand — in cards
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — music

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