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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rock — a stone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. perch — the fish
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. craft — boats
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bass — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rock — music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — music

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