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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. march — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. rule — a law
  11. mark — a trace
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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