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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — all right
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — to come down
  6. row — to paddle
  7. fine — high quality
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — ground
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. row — a line
  14. rash — hasty
  15. craft — boats
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. current — of water
  19. cap — of ice
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. land — a country
  24. shower — rain

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