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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tear — to rip
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — low music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to confront
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — clever
  20. march — music
  21. game — a match
  22. bass — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — with an edge

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