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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. scale — in music
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cold — an illness
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chip — to eat
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. craft — boats
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — size or range
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — for weighing

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