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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. race — a contest
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. court — of a king
  10. net — after costs
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. plane — a tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — boats
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of law
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — ground
  19. net — in sport
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — the arms race
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — humankind

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