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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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468
Word bank
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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — happy
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cell — in biology
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. cell — a phone
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. craft — boats

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