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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — certain
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — help
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — in cards

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