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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. current — electric
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — a video
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — boats
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. current — of water
  16. clip — to cut
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rule — government
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. clip — for paper
  24. squash — to crush

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