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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. craft — a skill
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. firm — a company
  6. bulb — for light
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. firm — steady
  9. craft — boats
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — a big letter

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