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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — a leader
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — boats
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a document
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — thin

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