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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rock — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rock — a stone
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. root — the cause
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — a match
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pit — a hole
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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