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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — to sink
  18. capital — money
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. craft — boats
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. craft — a skill

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