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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — employees
  14. rush — hurry
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — in music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. craft — a skill
  23. date — the fruit
  24. scale — for weighing

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