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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 124 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mark — a grade
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bass — low music
  7. last — final
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — a trace
  11. press — newspapers
  12. craft — a skill
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pound — a weight
  17. craft — boats
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — finally
  20. bass — the fish
  21. dip — to sink
  22. press — a publisher
  23. last — to go on
  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