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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — humankind
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. content — happy
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mate — a partner
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — newspapers
  15. craft — boats
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rash — a series
  24. craft — a handicraft

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