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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. roll — a list
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bass — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cold — not warm
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — boats
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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