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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. current — electric
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — rain
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. scale — in music
  11. current — of water
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. scale — size or range
  15. craft — boats
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — to bend
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. craft — a handicraft

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