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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cold — an illness
  5. field — a subject
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — a match
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. craft — a skill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. scale — size or range
  23. field — for sport
  24. cold — not warm

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