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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — music
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — boats
  18. chair — a leader
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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