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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rule — government
  3. game — wild animals
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rule — a law
  13. shower — rain
  14. craft — boats
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. clip — for paper
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a great 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