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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cap — of ice
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — rain
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — clever
  15. degree — from a university
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — help
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. degree — temperature
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. craft — boats
  24. cap — a hat

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