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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. hand — in cards
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. row — a line
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — help
  11. craft — a skill
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tube — a container
  15. craft — boats
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. race — a contest
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tube — in a tire

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