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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: stick · vault · squash · craft · file · racket · shower · toast

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. toast — bread
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. craft — a skill
  18. file — a document
  19. vault — a safe
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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