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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fall — the season
  3. craft — boats
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — in golf
  8. roll — a list
  9. track — a path
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. track — a song
  12. cue — a signal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. race — a contest
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. swing — to play on

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