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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — finally
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stand — to bear
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — final
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cold — not warm
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — to go on
  20. object — a thing
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — music

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