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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — for digging
  12. squash — the sport
  13. craft — boats
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ground — a position
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. snap — to click
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chair — a leader
  24. squash — the vegetable

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