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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — from a university
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. degree — an amount
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — music
  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