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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. firm — steady
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — boats
  6. swing — to play on
  7. last — finally
  8. stock — goods
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stock — shares
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — final
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. firm — a company
  21. cap — a hat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — rain

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