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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cell — a phone
  3. present — a gift
  4. craft — boats
  5. present — the time now
  6. track — a path
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — to keep track
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spell — magic
  11. track — a song
  12. present — there
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — for money
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spell — a short time

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