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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. date — the fruit
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. craft — boats
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bass — low music
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cold — an illness
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. ruler — for measuring

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