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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. file — a line of people
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. net — after costs
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — a safe
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. net — in sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — a football final

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