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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — a safe
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — low music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — clever
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — a trail
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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