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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chest — a box
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. clip — for paper
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. tube — a container
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chest — of your body

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