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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rule — government
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. craft — boats
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kid — to tease
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chip — for betting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rule — a law
  24. arm — part of the body

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