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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tube — a container
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bound — obliged
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tube — the underground
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — certain
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cue — a hint
  24. tube — in a tire

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