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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. staff — employees
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. staff — a stick
  15. race — the arms race
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — a contest
  20. row — a line
  21. rash — hasty
  22. race — humankind
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rash — a series

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