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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. land — to come down
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — ground
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. craft — a skill
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cue — for pool
  15. craft — boats
  16. mate — a partner
  17. march — the month
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mate — a friend
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — farmland
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a hint
  24. land — a country

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