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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. craft — a skill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pop — soda
  19. craft — boats
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rash — a series

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