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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. craft — boats
  4. race — humankind
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — a signal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cue — a hint
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cue — for pool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — a contest
  22. toast — bread
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. racket — a loud noise

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