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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. firm — a company
  5. fine — high quality
  6. current — happening now
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — farmland
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. current — electric
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cold — an illness
  13. craft — a skill
  14. firm — decided
  15. craft — boats
  16. current — of water
  17. ball — a dance
  18. firm — steady
  19. field — a subject
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wind — moving air
  23. field — for sport
  24. cold — not warm

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