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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — magic
  7. clip — for paper
  8. dip — to sink
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — certain
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spell — letters
  16. bound — obliged
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — a video
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rest — what's left

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