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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — the arms race
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — a contest
  8. craft — boats
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — music
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — thin
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — humankind
  24. rush — hurry

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