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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · cold · snap · chair · craft · leaves · ruler · date

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. snap — to click
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — boats
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. craft — a skill

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