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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — boats
  3. clip — for paper
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — the season
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. sharp — clever
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. clip — a video
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. spring — of water
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — to cut
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mate — to breed
  24. craft — a skill

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