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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stand — to bear
  3. club — a group
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — not warm
  7. craft — boats
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — the season
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. craft — a skill
  22. club — for golf
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. club — for dancing

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