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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. sharp — clever
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — of water
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mug — a cup
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spring — a coil

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