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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. craft — boats
  3. spring — of water
  4. row — a line
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fine — high quality
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — the season
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pass — a permit
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. row — to paddle

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