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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kid — child
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. craft — boats

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