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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. race — a contest
  3. craft — a skill
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. craft — boats
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. perch — the fish
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — rain

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