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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — letters
  7. craft — boats
  8. chip — to eat
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — a short time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. track — a song
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mug — to rob
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — for betting

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