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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. hand — help
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. board — a committee
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. craft — a skill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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