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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — clever
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. ground — a position
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bank — for money
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — for money
  12. shower — rain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — crushed
  16. key — in music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. vault — a safe
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — the earth
  23. key — the most important part
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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