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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. scale — size or range
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — electric
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. craft — boats
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lie — to recline
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — happening now
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a ring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. wave — of the sea

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