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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. craft — boats
  3. dip — to sink
  4. craft — a skill
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tube — a container
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. last — to go on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — final
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — finally
  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