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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. land — to come down
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — from crying
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. land — ground
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. roll — a list
  23. cue — for pool
  24. jam — a tight spot

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