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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: cell · craft · pitcher · ruler · vault · jam · wind · clip

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. craft — boats
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cell — in biology
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — a jug

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