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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cue — for pool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cue — a hint
  17. plane — a tool
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a skill
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bear — the animal

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