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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. current — electric
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a great time
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. current — happening now
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — a list
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — of water
  17. game — a match
  18. sharp — clever
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. craft — a skill
  24. lash — an eyelash

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