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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. board — to get on
  3. land — ground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — there
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cap — a hat
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. board — a committee
  17. rash — a series
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. saw — the tool

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