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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.

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: rush · arm · pitch · bass · bat · bound · date · vault

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bound — certain
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bass — low music
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. arm — a part of something

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