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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: vault · scale · racket · file · craft · hand · date · kick

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — in music
  5. hand — help
  6. vault — a safe
  7. kick — in football
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. file — a tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. file — a document
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. file — a line of people
  23. racket — for tennis
  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