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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. present — there
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. prune — to trim
  10. hand — help
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. present — the time now
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. present — a gift
  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