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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spring — of water
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spring — the season
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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