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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — the underground
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — a line
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — an untruth

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