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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. capital — money
  3. firm — steady
  4. field — farmland
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. craft — boats
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. craft — a skill
  12. field — a subject
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. capital — a city
  17. kick — in football
  18. rule — government
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. field — for sport

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