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

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. vault — a safe
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mug — to rob
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. board — to get on
  23. snap — to click
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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