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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: sharp · vault · band · court · last · bass · firm · bowl

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bass — the fish
  6. firm — a company
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. band — a music group
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — clever
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. court — for sport
  17. last — to go on
  18. firm — decided
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bowl — to roll

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