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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to click
  4. wound — an injury
  5. craft — boats
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — for betting

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