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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: bay · racket · patient · kick · vault · lash · field · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. craft — boats
  6. vault — a safe
  7. field — a subject
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — in football
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. field — farmland
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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