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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chest — a box
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — to wash
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — for betting
  22. craft — boats
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chip — to eat

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