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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — the amount
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — happy
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — for a lock
  23. arm — part of the body
  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