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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. can — to be able to
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — to get on
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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