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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. key — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. key — the most important part
  17. object — a thing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bark — to shout
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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