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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bass — the fish
  5. club — a group
  6. mate — a friend
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — happening now
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — electric
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — of water
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. club — for golf

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