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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. craft — boats
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rock — music
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — a line
  23. roll — a cake
  24. row — to paddle

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