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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — to sink
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kid — to tease
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — a signal
  10. craft — boats
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — child
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cue — for pool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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