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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a signal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a partner
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mate — to breed
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mate — a friend
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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