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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fall — the season
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — all right
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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