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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — a series
  6. craft — boats
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kick — in football
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rash — hasty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kick — a thrill

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