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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. craft — boats
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cell — a phone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — for pool
  24. season — of the year

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