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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pit — a hole
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mate — a friend
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — in a race
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a document

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