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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fine — high quality
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. drill — the tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. arm — part of the body

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