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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hand — help
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. charge — in control
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — a price
  23. craft — boats
  24. rest — a break

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