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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mate — to breed
  3. object — a thing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — letters
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. land — a country
  11. object — to protest
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — a skill
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mate — a partner

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