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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. bore — to tire
  7. track — a path
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a tool
  10. craft — a skill
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — of water
  17. march — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to drill
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a document
  24. bowl — a football final

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