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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. craft — a skill
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. root — the cause
  5. craft — boats
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — a face
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — to crush
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. present — there
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. root — of a word
  17. present — the time now
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mug — to rob
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — the sport

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