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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: craft · ball · hand · mine · vault · staff · land · toast

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. craft — a skill
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ball — a great time
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — in cards
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — boats
  14. toast — bread
  15. vault — a safe
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ball — a round shape

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