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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — child
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a skill
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — the earth
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. object — an aim
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ground — a position
  17. craft — boats
  18. march — the month
  19. object — to protest
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — a thing
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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