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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — not warm
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. land — a country
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — to keep secret

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