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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: lean · wound · vault · bass · degree · racket · ball · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — thin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bass — low music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lean — to bend

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