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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cold — not warm
  4. key — in music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mug — to rob
  7. foot — a measure
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mug — a face
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. key — for a lock
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wake — a trail
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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