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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — soda
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — to visit
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. craft — boats
  16. capital — a city
  17. pop — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kid — child
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  24. staff — a stick

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