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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — for betting
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. craft — boats
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — to eat
  15. date — the fruit
  16. craft — a skill
  17. board — to get on
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. board — a committee
  20. tube — the underground
  21. vault — a safe
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — moving air

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