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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. row — to paddle
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — a position
  14. craft — boats
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a line
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — a video
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — to cut
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — the earth
  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