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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wound — an injury
  3. craft — boats
  4. wound — an injury
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chest — a box
  7. charge — in control
  8. cue — a signal
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. charge — a price
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — a city
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. charge — electricity

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