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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spell — letters
  3. last — to go on
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. last — finally
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — final
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — in football
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kick — a thrill

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