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

Word bank: pit · squash · lean · wind · clip · vault · kick · craft

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. clip — a video
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. craft — boats
  8. pit — a hole
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. clip — to cut
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wind — moving air

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