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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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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. sharp — clever
  6. club — for golf
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. craft — boats
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spell — magic
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — a short time
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. content — the amount
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fall — the season
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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