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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 124 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — boats
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. suit — clothes
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — money
  24. hand — in cards

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