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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a line of people
  3. craft — a skill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. can — a tin
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bass — low music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. can — a tin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. can — to be able to
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. file — a tool
  23. craft — boats
  24. bass — the instrument

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