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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. present — a gift
  6. scale — in music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. craft — boats
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. present — there
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — for digging
  22. present — the time now
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bulb — for light

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