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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spell — letters
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fall — the season
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a line of people
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pit — a hole

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