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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — hurry
  20. craft — boats
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. last — to go on
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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