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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. last — final
  3. craft — boats
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a document
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — in a road
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — happy
  21. file — a tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fork — a garden tool

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