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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a hole
  8. firm — steady
  9. craft — boats
  10. firm — a company
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. key — for a lock
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ground — the earth
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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