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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cell — a phone
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. root — the cause
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — boats
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. degree — temperature
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. lash — an eyelash

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