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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. craft — boats
  3. land — ground
  4. craft — a skill
  5. sharp — clever
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — to come down
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — bread
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — a country

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