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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cell — in biology
  21. vault — a safe
  22. degree — temperature
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bass — low music

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