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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — the earth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — a position
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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