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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cap — a hat
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chip — for betting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. craft — boats
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. can — a tin
  24. sharp — with an edge

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