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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. present — a gift
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fine — high quality
  9. present — the time now
  10. clip — to cut
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fine — all right
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — there
  21. pass — a permit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. degree — from a university
  24. clip — for paper

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