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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a great time
  24. craft — a skill

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