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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. craft — boats
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — to come from
  20. race — the arms race
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. race — humankind
  24. straw — a straw man

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