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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — final
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. last — to go on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. object — an aim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fine — all right
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — to protest
  20. press — to push
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. fine — a penalty

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