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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spring — of water
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rock — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — a series
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rock — a stone

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