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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. craft — boats
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. kick — in football
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cold — not warm
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pop — to visit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. hand — help
  24. craft — a handicraft

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