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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: deal · craft · season · chest · march · arm · vault · lean

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. march — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — a skill
  10. march — the month
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — thin
  19. season — of the year
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. deal — to handle
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. arm — part of the body

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