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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. craft — a skill
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. march — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — boats
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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