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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. craft — boats
  3. fall — the season
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. craft — a skill
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — a phone
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. present — the time now
  24. track — a song

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