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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. last — finally
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the fish
  6. staff — employees
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. last — to go on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. fall — the season
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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