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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cap — a lid
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — of ice
  7. clip — a video
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. drill — army training
  17. squash — the sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cap — a hat
  20. craft — boats
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. squash — to crush
  24. drill — the tool

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