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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spring — the season
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pop — soda
  11. current — electric
  12. craft — boats
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — music
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — of water
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pop — to visit
  24. plane — in geometry

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