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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: field · kick · sharp · craft · last · vault · board · stock

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — finally
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. craft — boats
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. last — to go on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stock — shares
  16. vault — a safe
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — goods
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — for sport
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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