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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — help
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. file — a document
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chair — a leader
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hand — in cards

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