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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. row — a line
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rash — hasty
  19. row — to paddle
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. craft — boats
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. row — a quarrel

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