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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a music group
  5. object — to protest
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — a thing
  10. chair — a leader
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. object — an aim
  17. toast — bread
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chair — a professorship

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