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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pop — soda
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. craft — boats
  10. pass — a permit
  11. ball — a great time
  12. cold — not warm
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a round shape

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