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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — boats
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — decided
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a song
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — help
  12. track — a path
  13. firm — steady
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. firm — a company
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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