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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — a permit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — letters
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spell — magic
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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