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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — a skill
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — for digging
  5. craft — boats
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. firm — steady
  8. can — to be able to
  9. board — to get on
  10. file — a line of people
  11. suit — in cards
  12. file — a tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — to fit
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. board — a committee
  17. ball — a dance
  18. suit — clothes
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. file — a document
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. firm — a company
  24. can — a tin

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