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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. net — in sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — for catching
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. craft — a skill

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