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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. craft — boats
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ground — a position
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — the earth
  23. degree — from a university
  24. coach — a trainer

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