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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rock — music
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — a city
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — a group
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. last — to go on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. club — for golf
  24. capital — money

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