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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 120 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — child
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — clever
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. content — happy
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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