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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. press — to push
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — to go on
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. craft — boats
  20. last — final
  21. row — a line
  22. press — newspapers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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