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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — a path
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — after costs
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — final
  14. craft — boats
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — for catching
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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