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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a skill
  3. firm — steady
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — a company
  7. spell — letters
  8. march — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — decided
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — there
  24. spell — magic

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