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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — a tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a document
  6. chest — a box
  7. file — a tool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — in music
  21. cold — an illness
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. craft — a handicraft

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