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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — the earth
  4. scale — in music
  5. ground — a position
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — crushed
  8. craft — a skill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. scale — size or range
  13. vault — a safe
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. craft — boats
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to confront
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — a supporter

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