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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a skill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stock — goods
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — a gift
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. craft — boats
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chair — a leader
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. present — there
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — a quarrel

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