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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. vault — a safe
  3. craft — a skill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — a thing
  8. stock — shares
  9. mug — a face
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mug — a cup
  12. object — an aim
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bear — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. stock — goods
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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