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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — temperature
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fine — all right
  7. staff — a stick
  8. craft — boats
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a line
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. staff — employees
  16. pop — music
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — hasty
  21. degree — an amount
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — a trainer

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