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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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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: sharp · key · rash · rock · rest · net · bass · vault

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — after costs
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rock — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. key — the most important part
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. net — for catching
  11. bass — low music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — a break
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. key — in music
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — the fish

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