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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — to handle
  7. craft — a skill
  8. field — a subject
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. capital — money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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