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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. charge — a price
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. charge — electricity
  10. root — of a word
  11. charge — in control
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — the cause
  15. march — the month
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. march — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — for digging
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. squash — the sport

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