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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — music
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — the underground
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. craft — boats
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — final
  16. club — a group
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. last — finally
  20. pop — soda
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — to go on
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bowl — to roll

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