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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. firm — steady
  5. snap — to click
  6. scale — size or range
  7. firm — decided
  8. drill — a practice
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. scale — in music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. craft — boats
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. firm — a company
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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