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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. snap — to click
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. craft — boats
  5. present — a gift
  6. clip — to cut
  7. staff — a stick
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — the time now
  10. root — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — the cause
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. kid — to tease
  16. clip — for paper
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a word
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kid — child
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. craft — a handicraft

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