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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a cup
  3. row — a line
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mug — a face
  7. craft — boats
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — letters
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spell — magic
  15. swing — to play on
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. vault — a safe
  24. swing — in golf

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