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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — of a king
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. last — final
  11. court — for sport
  12. craft — boats
  13. last — to go on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. court — of law
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to drill
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — a law
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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