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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spring — the season
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. last — final
  19. scale — in music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — boats
  24. hide — animal skin

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