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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ball — a great time
  8. game — wild animals
  9. date — the fruit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — clever
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a dance
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stock — goods

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