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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. net — in sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bat — the animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — after costs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — boats
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — child

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