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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. root — of a plant
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mine — for digging
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — the cause
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — of a word

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