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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — finally
  4. craft — boats
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. board — a committee
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. last — final
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — to bend
  15. board — to get on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — to rest against

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