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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — in football
  12. craft — a skill
  13. spring — of water
  14. rule — a law
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rule — government
  20. bass — low music
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. spring — the season
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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