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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hand — help
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — to eat
  6. land — a country
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — to come down
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — low music
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — letters
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. craft — boats

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