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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: lash · cold · racket · wound · vault · bowl · craft · chip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. craft — boats
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chip — to eat
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cold — not warm
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lash — an eyelash

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