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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. plane — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. craft — a skill
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — final
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. dip — to sink
  20. shower — to wash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chip — to eat
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. shower — rain

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