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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — size or range
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — the most important part
  13. current — electric
  14. key — for a lock
  15. object — a thing
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — to protest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — to come down
  21. object — an aim
  22. rash — a series
  23. current — of water
  24. key — in music

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