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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. root — the cause
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bark — to shout
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. craft — boats
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — a video
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. sharp — clever
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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