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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 116 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. drill — army training
  4. file — a tool
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rock — music
  7. cue — a signal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. drill — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — a practice
  16. file — a line of people
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cue — for pool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cue — a hint
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rock — a stone

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