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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. craft — a skill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — a song
  7. craft — boats
  8. net — after costs
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — a coil
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — an illness
  19. net — in sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — a safe
  23. net — for catching
  24. cold — not warm

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