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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 120 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: pound · suit · cold · sharp · last · craft · mine · mark

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — for digging
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pound — a weight
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — final
  10. cold — not warm
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. last — to go on
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mark — a grade
  19. sharp — clever
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. suit — in cards
  24. craft — boats

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