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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. craft — boats
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. vault — a safe
  14. stock — goods
  15. rash — hasty
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fine — all right
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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