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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. last — finally
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cold — an illness
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. row — to paddle
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. last — final
  10. craft — a skill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. root — of a word
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. swing — to play on
  18. craft — boats
  19. last — to go on
  20. swing — music
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cold — not warm

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