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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kid — child
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. object — to protest
  9. craft — boats
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — final
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — an aim
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kid — to tease
  22. capital — money
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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