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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. craft — boats
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. roll — a list
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spell — magic
  12. roll — a cake
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stand — to bear
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spell — letters
  24. mouse — the animal

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