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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ground — a position
  4. last — to go on
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. craft — boats
  9. ground — crushed
  10. last — final
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. craft — a skill
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — shares
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bound — certain
  23. stock — goods
  24. object — a thing

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