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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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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: wound · cold · club · squash · net · craft · deal · vault

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — for catching
  4. club — a group
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. vault — a safe
  9. club — for golf
  10. craft — boats
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. squash — the sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cold — not warm
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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