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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 124 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. craft — a skill
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rock — a stone
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a great time
  12. craft — boats
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — of the year
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — completely
  22. staff — employees
  23. mine — for digging
  24. current — of water

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