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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. object — a thing
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a tool
  10. rule — government
  11. craft — a skill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. object — to protest
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rule — a law
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. file — a document
  21. object — an aim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — belonging to me

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