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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. field — farmland
  14. rash — a series
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fine — high quality

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