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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. craft — a skill
  3. staff — a stick
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — to paddle
  7. current — electric
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. craft — boats
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. dip — to sink
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — help
  17. current — of water
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — a line
  23. hand — in cards
  24. vault — a safe

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