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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. charge — a price
  3. craft — boats
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — to go on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — finally
  12. cell — a phone
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. charge — in control
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wind — moving air
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wake — a trail

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