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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. file — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. craft — boats
  7. current — of water
  8. ground — a position
  9. fall — to drop
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitch — completely
  13. current — happening now
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fall — the season
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a line of people

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