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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. craft — boats
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. race — a contest
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. game — wild animals

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