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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. squash — the sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cold — an illness
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hand — help
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mate — to breed
  20. toast — bread
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mate — a friend
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. craft — boats

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