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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cue — a signal
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. craft — boats
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — tied together
  21. craft — a skill
  22. clip — a video
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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