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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — in sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — a path
  8. net — after costs
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. race — humankind
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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