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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. craft — a skill
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. can — a tin
  11. stock — shares
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — for paper
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. vault — a safe
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. craft — boats
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — help
  24. can — to be able to

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