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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. game — a match
  3. race — a contest
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — wild animals
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. craft — boats
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hand — help
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — humankind
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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