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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. craft — boats
  5. last — finally
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. craft — a skill
  10. object — to protest
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a great time
  14. object — a thing
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — final
  23. net — after costs
  24. season — in sport

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