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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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Word bank
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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: ground · march · last · pound · club · bass · file · vault

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — the month
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the fish
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ground — the earth
  12. last — final
  13. file — a tool
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — finally
  16. club — for golf
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. march — music
  20. ground — crushed
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ground — a position
  24. last — to go on

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