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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. band — a ring
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. last — to go on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ground — crushed
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — final
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — the earth
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. band — a music group
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — a position
  24. chair — a professorship

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