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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. vault — a safe
  4. track — to keep track
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — clever
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. track — a path
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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