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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. key — for a lock
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — a thing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bass — the fish
  13. object — an aim
  14. band — a ring
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. object — to protest
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. march — music
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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