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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — to be able to
  3. club — a group
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. club — for golf
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. club — for dancing
  18. craft — boats
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wind — moving air

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