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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bore — to tire
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bore — to drill
  9. key — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. vault — a safe
  17. craft — boats
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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