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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bass — low music
  7. file — a tool
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — boats
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a document
  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