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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to confront
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. face — to point toward
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lie — to recline
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ground — crushed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — a position
  18. club — a group
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. sharp — clever
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for golf
  24. face — part of the head

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