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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lie — to recline
  5. capital — a city
  6. cold — an illness
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a skill
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fall — the season

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