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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. last — finally
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rock — music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. land — ground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — boats
  18. last — final
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rock — a stone

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