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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. present — there
  5. fall — the season
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — for sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — employees
  24. fall — to drop

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