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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a match
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — boats
  14. squash — the sport
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bass — the fish
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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