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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. craft — boats
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to click
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — to handle
  14. craft — a skill
  15. date — the fruit
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rash — a series
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rash — hasty

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