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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. track — a path
  3. craft — a skill
  4. dip — to sink
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mug — to rob
  16. degree — from a university
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mug — a face
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a song
  23. craft — boats
  24. degree — an amount

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