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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — a match
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — boats
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — the tool
  23. march — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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