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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cue — for pool
  3. firm — decided
  4. cue — a hint
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — a series
  7. craft — boats
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. firm — steady
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — a company
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rash — hasty
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kid — child
  24. coach — a trainer

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