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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wake — a trail
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fine — all right
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — boats

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