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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — certain
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rash — a series
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — from crying
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. craft — boats
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tear — to rip
  24. season — in sport

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