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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — letters
  3. clip — for paper
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — magic
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. craft — boats
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — a video
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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