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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to confront
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. date — the fruit
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ball — a dance
  18. vault — a safe
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cell — in biology
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cell — in a prison

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