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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · court · present · craft · race · land

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. craft — a skill
  3. court — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. land — to come down
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — there
  8. race — the arms race
  9. court — of law
  10. race — a contest
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — a gift
  15. land — a country
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — ground
  18. race — humankind

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