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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. craft — boats
  4. club — a group
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — to come from
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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