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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — tied together
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. craft — boats
  8. lean — thin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — certain
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bound — obliged
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. land — a country
  16. capital — money
  17. fall — the season
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. capital — a city
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — to come down

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