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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ground — a position
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. craft — boats
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ground — crushed

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