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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. charge — electricity
  3. vault — a safe
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — hasty
  6. craft — boats
  7. charge — in control
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — of water
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. spring — the season
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — for sport
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. craft — a skill
  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