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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. lie — to recline
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — a country
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. shower — rain
  11. craft — a skill
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. shower — to wash
  14. last — to go on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a dance
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. land — ground

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