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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — of water
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spring — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. craft — boats
  24. spring — a coil

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