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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cue — a signal
  4. content — happy
  5. drill — the tool
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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