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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. race — humankind
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. kick — in football
  9. craft — boats
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — army training
  13. squash — to crush
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. squash — the sport
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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