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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bound — tied together
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. craft — boats
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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