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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. craft — a skill
  7. last — final
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — to go on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — boats
  17. pop — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — soda
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. last — finally

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