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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. row — a line
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. craft — boats
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mug — a face
  21. track — a path
  22. row — to paddle
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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