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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. net — for catching
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — clever
  6. file — a line of people
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spring — of water
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. net — in sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bass — low music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — after costs
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mouse — the animal
  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