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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: vault · can · mark · bowl · cell · swing · stick · craft

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. craft — boats
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mark — a grade
  8. vault — a safe
  9. swing — in golf
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mark — a trace
  18. can — a tin
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. can — a tin

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