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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bark — to shout
  8. ground — crushed
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stock — goods
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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