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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. craft — a skill
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — help
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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