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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: face · lean · bass · vault · bat · ruler · foot · stick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to bend
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bass — the fish
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — thin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. vault — a safe

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