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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — a price
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — music
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — final
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — certain
  14. craft — boats
  15. charge — in control
  16. last — to go on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — finally
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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