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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. craft — boats
  8. cell — a phone
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fine — high quality
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a grade
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fine — all right
  19. current — happening now
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — in biology
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. fine — a penalty

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