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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 120 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mug — a face
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — size or range
  20. track — a song
  21. craft — boats
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — a path

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