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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — for betting
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — a contest
  10. rest — what's left
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — to push
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — boats
  23. race — the arms race
  24. press — newspapers

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