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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. saw — the tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rock — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. saw — the tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — humankind
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. race — a contest
  19. toast — bread
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — a series
  24. wound — an injury

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