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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to click
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. craft — a skill
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mark — a trace
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mark — a grade
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — boats

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