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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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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: bowl · pitch · hide · craft · field · vault · kid · squash

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. vault — a safe
  3. kid — to tease
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — for sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. field — farmland
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. kid — child
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hide — animal skin

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