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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. toast — bread
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cue — a hint
  20. saw — the tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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