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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: vault · cue · dip · last · date · mouse · straw · bass

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. last — to go on
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bass — low music
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. date — the fruit
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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