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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — the amount
  6. staff — a stick
  7. race — a contest
  8. content — happy
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — army training
  14. race — humankind
  15. kick — in football
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. race — the arms race
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. staff — employees

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