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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. row — a line
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. shower — to wash
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. swing — in golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — ground
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. land — a country

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