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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. craft — a skill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — a phone
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — in music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cell — in biology

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