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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bass — low music

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