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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — boats
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fork — in a road
  20. content — happy
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. saw — the tool
  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