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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cold — not warm
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. scale — in music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. plane — a tool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. craft — boats
  17. scale — size or range
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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