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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rash — a series
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — of your body
  14. craft — boats
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. current — electric
  23. rash — hasty
  24. hand — 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