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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — to come down
  7. sharp — clever
  8. land — a country
  9. bound — certain
  10. land — ground
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. race — a contest
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — the arms race
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — army training
  23. bound — obliged
  24. drill — a practice

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