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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. craft — boats
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. season — of the year
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. scale — size or range
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. race — humankind
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — with an edge

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