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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. game — a match
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. current — electric
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — happening now
  11. craft — boats
  12. rest — a break
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kid — child
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — what's left

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