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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. content — the amount
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. band — a music group
  8. craft — a skill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — all right
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rule — government
  23. fine — high quality
  24. content — happy

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