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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — certain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — child
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — happy
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. capital — money
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — to crush
  19. craft — boats
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — a city
  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