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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chest — of your body
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chest — of your body
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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