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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — to breed
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — finally
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. last — to go on
  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