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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. file — a document
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — to get on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. craft — a skill
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. file — a line of people
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a tool

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