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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 · cabinet · race · sharp · mark · craft · pound · rush

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mark — a trace
  6. craft — boats
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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