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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a signal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — help
  11. cue — a hint
  12. can — to be able to
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. can — a tin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. craft — boats

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