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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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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 · craft · pitch · tear · straw · suit · current · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. suit — in cards
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — of water
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. craft — boats
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. craft — a skill
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — happening now
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — electric

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