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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — in music
  6. charge — a price
  7. cold — not warm
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. charge — electricity
  13. board — a committee
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. charge — in control
  22. swing — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. board — to get on

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