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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rash — hasty
  5. snap — to click
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — boats
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — a group
  14. perch — the fish
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. club — for golf

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