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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — of water
  3. craft — a skill
  4. row — to paddle
  5. club — for dancing
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. club — for golf
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — boats
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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