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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ground — the earth
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — of water
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pound — a weight
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — in football
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — the animal

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