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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. game — a match
  17. rock — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — to shout
  20. content — the amount
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. game — a kind of play

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