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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. row — a line
  4. squash — the sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. current — electric
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. current — happening now
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chest — a box
  19. squash — to crush
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chest — of your body
  24. sharp — exactly

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