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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. club — a group
  5. roll — a list
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — money
  8. roll — a cake
  9. club — for golf
  10. spell — a short time
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spell — letters
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fine — all right
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. press — to push
  23. capital — a city
  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