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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. row — a line
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. row — to paddle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. racket — for tennis

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