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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. march — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — a match
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — obliged
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. craft — boats
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — a partner
  24. game — wild animals

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