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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pop — music
  4. race — a contest
  5. object — to protest
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. net — for catching
  12. rule — government
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. race — humankind
  16. pop — soda
  17. rule — a law
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. race — the arms race
  21. net — in sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bay — a horse colour

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