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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. content — happy
  3. pop — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — finally
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. content — the amount
  13. last — to go on
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. game — a match
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bear — the animal
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ball — a round shape
  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