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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mate — to breed
  6. current — electric
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pop — music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. craft — boats
  19. current — happening now
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — soda

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