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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 120 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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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 · cell · deal · dip · ball · last · bass · chest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a great time
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chest — a box
  14. vault — a safe
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cell — in biology
  19. last — to go on
  20. bass — low music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. last — final
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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