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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spell — letters
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — magic
  6. row — a line
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — for light
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — music
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bulb — for light
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bass — low music

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