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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — for digging
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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