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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: roll · rash · lash · fork · chair · vault · bass · rock

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. roll — a list
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bass — low music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rash — hasty
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — a series
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chair — a leader

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