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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — goods
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — boats
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cold — an illness
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — shares
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. plane — a tool

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