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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. swing — in golf
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — a stone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cap — a lid
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. hand — help
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rock — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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