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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — boats
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — rain
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. scale — in music
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — for sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tear — to rip
  23. charge — in control
  24. rest — what's left

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