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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cold — an illness
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fine — high quality
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. capital — money
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — obliged
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. capital — a city

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