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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. sharp — clever
  3. land — a country
  4. craft — a skill
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. snap — to click
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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