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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a great time
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rule — government
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. drill — army training
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rule — a law
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rule — to rule out

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