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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. shower — rain
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — help
  12. current — of water
  13. shower — to wash
  14. staff — a stick
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — not warm

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