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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. land — to come down
  3. craft — a skill
  4. land — a country
  5. drill — a practice
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. kick — in football
  10. race — the arms race
  11. craft — boats
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — a contest
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. land — ground

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