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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. date — the fruit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to click

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