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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. snap — to click
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a signal
  14. craft — a skill
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. cue — for pool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. craft — a handicraft

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