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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. content — the amount
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. row — a line
  14. game — wild animals
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. craft — boats

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