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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 120 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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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: season · craft · current · ground · cabinet · land · game · vault

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. vault — a safe
  4. current — of water
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. land — a country
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. game — a match
  10. land — to come down
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. current — electric
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — of the year
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — the earth
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — a skill
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — boats
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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