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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — of law
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — to go on
  10. court — for sport
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — final
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — finally
  24. craft — boats

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