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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 124 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — help
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — in cards
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. row — a line
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. craft — boats
  24. hand — part of the body

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