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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — a path
  4. fine — all right
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cue — a hint
  11. spell — magic
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rest — a break
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — letters
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — a handicraft

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