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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spring — the season
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — of water
  24. wind — to turn a key

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