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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — the amount
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. craft — boats
  8. roll — a list
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. band — a music group
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — happy
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a trace
  20. band — a ring
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a cake
  24. capital — money

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