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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. craft — boats
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — not warm
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — an illness

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