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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. swing — in golf
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. swing — music
  24. game — wild animals

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