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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. craft — boats
  6. kick — in football
  7. shower — rain
  8. rash — hasty
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. craft — a skill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. prune — the fruit

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