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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — to fit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — clothes
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a match
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — for sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — a subject
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — moving air
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. suit — in cards

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