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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — the time now
  4. key — for a lock
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — boats
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — to rob
  11. present — there
  12. key — in music
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — clever
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fall — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. present — a gift
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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