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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. content — happy
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — a safe
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — the month
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. march — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. club — for dancing
  20. craft — a skill
  21. club — for golf
  22. face — to confront
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — to point toward

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