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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — a series
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. craft — a skill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — boats
  14. ball — a dance
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ball — a great time
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. safe — a strongbox

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