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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. shower — rain
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — a list
  16. content — happy
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. roll — a cake
  20. craft — boats
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — the amount
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. clip — for paper

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