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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 124 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chest — a box
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — a gift
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — of your body
  12. present — the time now
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. present — there
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — a stone

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