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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mate — a partner
  5. craft — a skill
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chest — of your body
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kick — in football
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. suit — to fit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ball — a great time

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