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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hand — in cards
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. vault — a safe
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mine — belonging to me

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