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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to click
  8. suit — in cards
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. suit — clothes
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. craft — a handicraft

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