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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: chip · last · rush · vault · craft · fan · rash · land

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. craft — boats
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — finally
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — ground
  19. vault — a safe
  20. last — final
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — to go on
  23. land — a country
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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