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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. craft — a skill
  3. degree — temperature
  4. squash — to crush
  5. land — ground
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — a country
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — boats
  16. vault — a safe
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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