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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — steady
  8. staff — employees
  9. craft — a skill
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. firm — decided
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — boats
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — size or range
  21. firm — a company
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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