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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. march — music
  5. craft — boats
  6. hand — help
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. craft — a skill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. object — an aim
  17. rule — government
  18. object — a thing
  19. rule — a law
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. march — the month
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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