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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. squash — the sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — low music
  8. game — a match
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pit — a hole
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. squash — to crush
  18. craft — boats
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — letters
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bass — the fish

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