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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — decided
  8. deal — to handle
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — the season
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — in a race
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — a coil
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — of water

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