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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — in football
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — happy
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. toast — bread
  13. bound — obliged
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — the season
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. craft — boats
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — the amount
  24. craft — a handicraft

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