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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. clip — a video
  3. ball — a dance
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. roll — a cake
  8. craft — a skill
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a great time
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. plane — a tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mate — a partner
  23. craft — boats
  24. ball — a round shape

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