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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rule — a law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pit — in a race
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rule — government
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — a box
  24. mouse — the animal

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