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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — ground
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. craft — a skill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. land — to come down
  9. chest — of your body
  10. charge — in control
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. vault — a safe
  19. land — a country
  20. rash — a series
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — hasty
  23. charge — electricity
  24. craft — boats

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