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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a great time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a dance
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — magic
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — boats

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