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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — a cup
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mug — to rob
  7. present — there
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mug — a face
  12. present — a gift
  13. rash — a series
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a line
  21. present — the time now
  22. rash — hasty
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chest — a box

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