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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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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: bass · band · vault · foot · net · arm · drill · cell

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — low music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — in biology
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cell — a phone
  11. foot — a measure
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — army training
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. net — in sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. net — after costs
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. band — a music group
  24. bass — the fish

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