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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spell — letters
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. firm — steady
  12. game — a match
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. hand — in cards
  15. firm — a company
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. craft — boats
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. firm — decided
  20. spell — magic
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — a short time

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