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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — in football
  5. object — an aim
  6. hand — in cards
  7. craft — boats
  8. hand — help
  9. spell — magic
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. object — to protest
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — a thing
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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