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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. root — the cause
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pit — in a race
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — a hole
  12. root — of a word
  13. craft — boats
  14. rock — music
  15. clip — a video
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. craft — a skill
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. root — of a plant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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