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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. kick — in football
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. craft — boats
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. content — happy
  15. cold — an illness
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. content — the amount
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bank — for money

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