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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — music
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cue — a signal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. craft — boats
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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