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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a ring
  5. wake — a trail
  6. band — a music group
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mark — a trace
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. trunk — of a tree

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