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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. present — a gift
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — a stone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — a short time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. face — to confront
  13. present — there
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spell — magic
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. face — to point toward

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