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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bound — tied together
  4. craft — boats
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — to go on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rule — a law
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — government
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — final
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. craft — a skill

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