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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mine — for digging
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — a safe
  18. clip — a video
  19. pit — a hole
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pit — in a race
  24. leaves — of a tree

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