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

Word bank: mine · craft · present · wind · bay · pit · temple · spell

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. craft — boats
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. present — there
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — a gift
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. present — the time now

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