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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. lean — to bend
  7. craft — boats
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bass — low music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — help
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. lean — thin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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