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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. can — a tin
  4. craft — a skill
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — size or range
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — to bend
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. craft — boats
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. scale — in music
  24. board — to get on

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