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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. ground — crushed
  6. race — a contest
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. race — the arms race
  18. craft — boats
  19. date — the fruit
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a document
  24. race — humankind

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