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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · mug · fall · lie · sharp · snap · rash · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — a face
  6. fall — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. sharp — clever
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. craft — boats
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rash — hasty

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