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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rush — hurry
  6. craft — a skill
  7. net — for catching
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — the season
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — in sport

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