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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — shares
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a lid
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spell — a short time
  15. tube — a container
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — in football

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