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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spring — the season
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fine — all right
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spring — of water
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rock — music
  24. fall — to drop

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