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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — shares
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. current — electric
  15. land — to come down
  16. current — of water
  17. land — a country
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — ground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — a skill

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