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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. craft — a skill
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — to tease
  12. clip — for paper
  13. craft — boats
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bound — obliged
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kid — child
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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