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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. ball — a great time
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. craft — boats
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ruler — for measuring

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