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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · toast · bat · wound · bass · arm · mine · vault

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bass — the fish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. toast — bread
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. arm — part of the body

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