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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rest — what's left
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. craft — boats
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. capital — a city
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bore — to drill
  24. swing — music

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