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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — humankind
  6. field — farmland
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. race — a contest
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — a division
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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