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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ground — the earth
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. swing — in golf
  7. content — the amount
  8. swing — to play on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — the month
  11. craft — boats
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. content — happy
  14. swing — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. march — the month

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