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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bound — certain
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. object — an aim
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. craft — a skill

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