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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rule — a law
  6. bat — the animal
  7. suit — clothes
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rule — government
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. suit — to fit
  22. craft — boats
  23. sharp — clever
  24. craft — a skill

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