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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. squash — to crush
  13. saw — the tool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. rash — hasty
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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