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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. board — a committee
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kid — child
  22. board — to get on
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — a tool

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