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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. craft — boats
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — humankind
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to confront
  13. race — the arms race
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rash — a series
  17. face — part of the head
  18. present — there
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — a gift
  23. chip — to eat
  24. craft — a handicraft

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