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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — an illness
  10. firm — a company
  11. chest — a box
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. court — for sport
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — happening now
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. deal — to handle
  24. craft — boats

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