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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — a contest
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. shower — to wash
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. craft — boats
  17. race — humankind
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. club — for golf
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. plane — a tool
  24. craft — a skill

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