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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — goods
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. capital — a city
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. suit — clothes
  15. craft — boats
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. field — for sport
  22. capital — money
  23. field — a subject
  24. rash — a series

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