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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. field — farmland
  3. fall — to drop
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — the season
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — a subject
  22. charge — a price
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. craft — a handicraft

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