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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kid — child
  6. court — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. court — of law
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. suit — in cards
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of a king
  19. vault — a safe
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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