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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — a signal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — there
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mug — to rob
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. present — a gift
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. present — the time now

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