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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a signal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — a practice
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — for pool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. drill — army training
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. drill — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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