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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spell — magic
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. present — the time now
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a match
  10. present — a gift
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. present — there
  16. roll — a cake
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. roll — a list
  19. spell — letters
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — boats
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — the tool

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