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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: scale · dip · bass · file · fork · club · cell · vault

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fork — in a road
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. file — a document
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. club — for golf
  24. dip — to dunk

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