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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. staff — a stick
  3. craft — boats
  4. squash — the sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. craft — a skill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — the season
  12. scale — size or range
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. staff — employees
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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