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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rock — a stone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mate — to breed
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. can — a tin
  9. craft — boats
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rock — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. can — a tin
  24. toast — 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