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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. scale — in music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. craft — a skill
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. mug — a face
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. craft — boats
  12. mug — to rob
  13. tear — from crying
  14. vault — a safe
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tear — to rip
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mug — a cup
  23. snap — to click
  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