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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ball — a dance
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. ball — a great time
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — boats
  14. spring — a coil
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bat — the animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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