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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 · bay · bass · rush · hand · row · last · march

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. row — a line
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. march — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hand — help
  16. last — to go on
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rush — to hurry

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