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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spell — magic
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — low music
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. craft — a handicraft

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