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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. scale — in music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rash — a series
  12. scale — size or range
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kick — in football
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. game — a match

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