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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. craft — a skill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. craft — boats
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — a city
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. capital — money
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. can — a tin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. last — final
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bay — a horse colour

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