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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — a country
  5. craft — a skill
  6. content — the amount
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. land — to come down
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — ground
  13. row — to paddle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. race — a contest
  20. craft — boats
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. temple — a place of worship

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