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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ball — a dance
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ball — a great time
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. firm — a company
  15. club — for golf
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — a group
  18. craft — a skill
  19. clip — a video
  20. roll — a cake
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — for dancing
  24. firm — steady

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