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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. march — the month
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. spring — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. march — music
  19. game — a match
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spring — of water

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