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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: vault · snap · tube · straw · mine · pit · bass · arm

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mine — for digging
  3. vault — a safe
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tube — a container
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bass — low music
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pit — in a race
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. tube — in a tire
  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