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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a great time
  4. can — a tin
  5. craft — a skill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. can — a tin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — farmland
  21. file — a tool
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — high quality

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