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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. craft — boats
  7. fine — all right
  8. swing — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in biology
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. temple — a place of worship

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