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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. shower — rain
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. chair — a leader
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. craft — boats
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chair — a professorship

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