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

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. file — a document
  5. craft — boats
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. object — a thing
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — a skill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the sport
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. object — to protest
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — to crush

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