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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. spring — the season
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — to handle
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. craft — a skill
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — final
  23. lie — to recline
  24. craft — boats

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