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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. hand — help
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — a lid
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. file — a document
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. craft — a skill
  14. plane — a tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — in cards
  24. plane — in geometry

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