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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ground — the earth
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. craft — boats
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a professorship

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