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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — soda
  3. toast — bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — finally
  6. game — a match
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pop — music
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — final
  19. game — wild animals
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — there
  24. craft — a skill

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