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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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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: shower · spell · vault · press · safe · cold · racket · craft

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — a safe
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. press — to push
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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