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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — to go on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — finally
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pop — soda
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lean — thin
  21. last — final
  22. rock — music
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — to cool the air

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