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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — boats
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tube — the underground
  10. face — to confront
  11. vault — a safe
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — a phone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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