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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — final
  3. hand — in cards
  4. craft — a skill
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fine — high quality
  14. last — to go on
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fine — all right
  17. last — finally
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. row — a line
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — help
  24. row — a quarrel

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