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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. mug — a face
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. present — a gift
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — of a word
  16. squash — to crush
  17. present — there
  18. craft — a skill
  19. last — final
  20. craft — boats
  21. root — the cause
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. root — 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