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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — boats
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — a group
  23. land — to come down
  24. pound — for dogs

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