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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. present — there
  7. craft — boats
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. present — the time now
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rule — a law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cue — a signal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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