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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rock — music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. craft — a skill
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — for golf
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. club — a group
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. shower — rain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. craft — a handicraft

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