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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. tear — to rip
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pitch — completely
  10. swing — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wake — before a funeral

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