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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — in sport
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. file — a document
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — a position
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. sharp — with an edge

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