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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — a container
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. date — the fruit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chest — a box
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tube — the underground
  24. suit — in cards

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