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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. row — to paddle
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. sharp — clever
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a committee
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — of ice
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. craft — a handicraft

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