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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — ground
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. craft — boats
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. shower — rain
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. land — to come down
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. sharp — with an edge

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