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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — in a race
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spell — letters
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — rain
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mark — a trace

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