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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. firm — a company
  3. craft — boats
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. race — humankind
  6. firm — decided
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — steady
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — to wash
  13. content — the amount
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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