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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — low music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. scale — in music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. suit — in cards
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. suit — clothes
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — boats

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