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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — a phone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — in biology
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. shower — to wash

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