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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. shower — rain
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. snap — to click
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pit — a hole
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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