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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — the month
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — to confront

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