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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. ground — a position
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. craft — boats
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ground — the earth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. straw — dry grass

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