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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cold — an illness
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. toast — bread
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — boats
  24. squash — the vegetable

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