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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — magic
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. game — a match
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a skill

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