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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. scale — in music
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. craft — a skill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. track — a song
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. track — a path
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. craft — boats
  16. track — to keep track
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — a line
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. row — to paddle
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. scale — for weighing

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