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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. season — of the year
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — a series
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. craft — a skill
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lean — thin

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