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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fall — to drop
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — happy
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — in sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rest — a break
  24. net — for catching

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