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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. suit — to fit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wind — moving air
  8. suit — in cards
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. charge — electricity
  12. drill — the tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — army training
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — the season
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — in control
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spring — of water
  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