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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. scale — size or range
  3. race — humankind
  4. charge — electricity
  5. race — the arms race
  6. root — the cause
  7. charge — in control
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. content — the amount
  10. craft — boats
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. band — a ring
  13. scale — in music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. root — of a plant
  17. content — happy
  18. charge — a price
  19. race — a contest
  20. root — of a word
  21. band — a music group
  22. dip — to sink
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — a handicraft

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