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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cold — not warm
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fine — all right
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tube — a container
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fine — high quality
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. racket — a loud noise

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