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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · pitch · vault · last · lie · craft · wound · net

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. craft — boats
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — final
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitch — completely
  15. last — to go on
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. net — after costs
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cap — of ice

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