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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fall — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — the season
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — a partner
  19. craft — boats
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — a friend

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