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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. key — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — exactly

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