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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — boats
  5. spring — the season
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — of water
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spring — a coil
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. land — ground
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. object — a thing
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — a country
  18. staff — employees
  19. object — an aim
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. staff — a stick
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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