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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · craft · bat · rule · content · spring · cap · vault

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — a law
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — the amount
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. can — to be able to
  24. content — videos and posts

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