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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — a coil
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — a skill
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — of water
  10. bound — certain
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mate — a partner
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. mate — to breed
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pit — in a race

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