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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — to crush
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. cell — in biology
  13. object — a thing
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — boats
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. sharp — clever
  24. craft — a skill

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