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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. current — of water
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. current — electric
  13. craft — boats
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rash — a series
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chest — a box
  21. current — happening now
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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