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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. clip — a video
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — boats
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bark — to shout
  12. clip — to cut
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. charge — in control
  16. craft — a skill
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. clip — for paper

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