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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. craft — a skill
  3. object — a thing
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. craft — boats
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pass — a permit
  12. club — a group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — for dancing
  18. lie — to recline
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a document
  22. object — to protest
  23. file — a tool
  24. bank — for money

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