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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cap — a lid
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spring — of water
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spring — the season
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — in a race

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