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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cue — for pool
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. vault — a safe
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. last — final
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cue — a hint
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cue — a signal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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