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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hand — in cards
  3. craft — boats
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — an amount
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rock — music
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — temperature
  24. craft — a handicraft

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