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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. firm — steady
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cell — a phone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. craft — boats
  9. cue — a signal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cue — for pool
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cell — in biology
  22. firm — decided
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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