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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. object — a thing
  3. mate — to breed
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — an aim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — to protest
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — a skill
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pit — a hole
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. shower — rain
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to click
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a music group

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