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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. club — for golf
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — a group
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pass — to spend time

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