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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. craft — a skill
  4. face — to confront
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. content — the amount
  11. vault — a safe
  12. content — happy
  13. hand — help
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. craft — boats
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to point toward
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — in cards

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