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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. craft — boats
  9. swing — music
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — to come down
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. land — ground
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. swing — to play on
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — in golf
  23. craft — a skill
  24. land — a country

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