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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. craft — a skill
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — in cards
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. march — the month
  11. suit — clothes
  12. march — music
  13. file — a tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — for digging
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — to fit
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — boats
  23. file — a document
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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