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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mug — a face
  7. fine — all right
  8. bound — certain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — in music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. craft — a skill
  16. current — of water
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bound — tied together
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — happening now

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