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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — to bear
  6. court — of law
  7. file — a document
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. race — humankind
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. race — a contest
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bass — the fish
  24. sharp — exactly

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