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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rock — a stone
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ground — crushed
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — bread
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — a position
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ground — the earth

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