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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — child
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. mug — a cup
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — to tease
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — a friend

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