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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. foot — a measure
  5. craft — boats
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. game — a match
  8. craft — a skill
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mug — a face
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pop — soda
  22. mug — a cup
  23. saw — the tool
  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