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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. chest — a box
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — electricity
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hand — in cards
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — help
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — for golf
  20. charge — a price
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. charge — in control
  23. club — a group
  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