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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — boats
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a path
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spring — of water
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — to keep track
  19. craft — a skill
  20. track — a song
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mark — a trace
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. straw — dry grass

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