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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wake — a trail
  5. shower — rain
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. game — a match
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — a kind of play

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