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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. last — final
  4. club — a group
  5. bat — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. craft — a skill
  8. last — finally
  9. craft — boats
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. present — the time now
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. rock — music
  19. present — there
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. game — a match
  22. present — a gift
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rock — to move gently

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