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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · sharp · fork · mate · bass · vault · ground · cap

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — a hat
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cap — of ice
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — low music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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