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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — in a tire
  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