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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a document
  10. capital — money
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. craft — boats
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fork — in a road
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. track — a path
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. vault — a safe

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