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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a match
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — for catching
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — a cake
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ground — crushed
  18. race — a contest
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — wild animals
  24. roll — a list

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