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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 124 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bass — low music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. craft — a skill
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. shower — to wash
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — rain
  22. plane — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — a handicraft

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