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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — to get on
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — the month
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — a committee
  15. pop — soda
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cold — not warm
  19. firm — a company
  20. kid — child
  21. firm — steady
  22. pop — to visit
  23. firm — decided
  24. pop — music

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