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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bass — low music
  4. craft — boats
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ground — the earth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — a position
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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