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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for golf
  5. clip — for paper
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. can — to be able to
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — to cut
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — a box
  22. clip — a video
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — side of the head

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