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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — a subject
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ball — a great time
  17. craft — boats
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — a series
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — of a word
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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