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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. craft — a skill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to sink
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. craft — boats
  20. capital — a city
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. dip — a sauce

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