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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — there
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. present — a gift
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. march — the month
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — money
  20. present — the time now
  21. march — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rush — a thrill

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