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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a skill
  3. race — a contest
  4. craft — boats
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — a stick
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — wild animals
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pop — music
  22. mate — a partner
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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