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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — completely
  6. craft — a skill
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. craft — boats
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rash — a series
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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