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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. club — for dancing
  8. dip — to sink
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — boats
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a document
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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