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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cold — not warm
  11. club — for golf
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — a group
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bass — the fish
  23. craft — boats
  24. bay — a horse colour

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