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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spell — magic
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — boats
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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