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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. craft — boats
  6. march — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. plane — a tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hand — in cards
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wind — moving air
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. craft — a skill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. roll — a list

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