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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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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: hide · perch · sharp · fork · vault · craft · stock · court

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. vault — a safe
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. craft — boats
  10. stock — goods
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — for sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — shares
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of a king
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. court — of law
  24. perch — the fish

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