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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. track — a song
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. drill — a practice
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — the fish
  15. drill — army training
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — low music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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