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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: spell · craft · lash · vault · cold · chest · rest · pass

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chest — of your body
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spell — letters
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pass — a permit
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — magic
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rest — what's left
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — a box
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cold — not warm
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rest — a break

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