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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. craft — boats
  5. cue — a signal
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. land — a country
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — a series
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cue — a hint
  16. track — a path
  17. craft — a skill
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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