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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mine — for digging
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. current — happening now
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. current — electric
  15. pound — a weight
  16. capital — money
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. current — of water
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. squash — to crush
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mine — an explosive

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