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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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Word bank
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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: craft · mark · cold · fine · roll · pitcher · staff · pass

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fine — all right
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. staff — employees
  10. roll — a list
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pass — a permit
  15. roll — a cake
  16. staff — employees
  17. cold — an illness
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitcher — a jug

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