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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — a skill
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a path
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — for pool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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