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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — in cards
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — help
  7. rash — a series
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rule — government
  13. craft — a skill
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rule — a law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. can — a tin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. date — the fruit

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