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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pop — music
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — the fruit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — soda

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