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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — the month
  4. object — to protest
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — of water
  15. stock — shares
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. object — a thing
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — goods
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. object — an aim
  23. current — happening now
  24. march — music

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