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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. firm — decided
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. craft — boats
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spell — letters
  21. firm — steady
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spring — of water
  24. firm — a company

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