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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. craft — a skill
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lie — to recline
  8. march — music
  9. mug — a cup
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — humankind
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — for a lock
  14. snap — to click
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. race — a contest
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — boats
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. key — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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