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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for dancing
  4. field — a subject
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. scale — size or range
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rock — a stone
  24. field — farmland

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