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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chest — a box
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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