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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — letters
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pass — a permit
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — army training
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — magic

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