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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — temperature
  8. squash — the sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — a skill
  11. degree — an amount
  12. craft — boats
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — the time now
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — from a university
  19. present — there
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. object — an aim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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