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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. snap — to click
  8. charge — a price
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — boats
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. chair — a leader
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pound — a weight
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — a trail
  24. charge — electricity

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