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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — wild animals
  5. snap — to click
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. craft — boats
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bound — certain
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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