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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. craft — boats
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — final
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bass — low music
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rock — music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. court — for sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — of law
  22. rock — a stone
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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