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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mate — to breed
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — boats
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — a gift
  11. rest — what's left
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — an illness
  16. present — the time now
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bay — a horse colour

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