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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. current — of water
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — a short time
  11. current — happening now
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. current — electric
  22. spell — magic
  23. spring — of water
  24. ground — crushed

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