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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — low music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — the fish

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